Tunnels of Ice
Tunnels of Ice is the sixth scenario in The Sword of Frost, the eighth part of Heroes Chronicles. Tarnum's army followed Gelu's forces into the tunnels beneath a glacier, bringing the Nighon troops into an environment that felt more familiar to them. Zallisa, the leader of the medusas, discovered that Kija's barbarians had also reached the area, and could use the tunnels for ambushes. Trongar, Tarnum's minotaur king bodyguard, suggested that if they hit the barbarians hard enough, the tunnels wouldn't matter. Tarnum visited his prisoner Ufretin for the first time, and when the dwarf asked his captor to take off his helm and show his real face, Tarnum did so. Ufretin instantly recognized him as Tarnum Dragonfriend, who had saved the good dragons from Mutare's control. Tarnum asked for his help to stop Gelu, but Ufretin called him a traitor. Tarnum tried to convince him that Gelu could end up destroying the world, but to no avail. In order to gain his trust, Tarnum told Ufretin about his immortality. In front of the shocked dwarf, he plunged his dagger deep into his own heart, before standing back up. The following day, he told Ufretin a shortened version of his story, about how he'd committed horrible atrocities, and after his death, the Ancestors refused to let him enter Paradise until he'd redeemed himself. Kilkik wanted to torture the dwarf for information, and was surprised when Tarnum didn't let him. In secret, he began to drive the army to the point of mutiny. Tarnum realized that there wouldn't be peace as long as he kept Ufretin prisoner. In the middle of the night, Kilkik made his way into the prisoner cage to kill the dwarf, but Tarnum had already freed him, and Zallisa jumped from the shadows and stabbed the beholder to death as revenge for her slain medusa sisters. Before Ufretin left, Tarnum asked him to try to talk Gelu into giving up. The dwarf told Tarnum that Gelu was going to Volee, an ancient, lost Vori elf city. That was where he'd find the Sword of Frost. After dealing with Kija's troops, Tarnum could follow Gelu's trail. Walkthrough Tarnum starts out in the northeastern corner with a Dungeon and his two strongest heroes from the previous scenario. He also has Frozen Cliffs nearby, allowing him to hire azure dragons, and there's a neutral Dungeon he can capture. All paths into the area are blocked by black dragons. The enemy has three Strongholds. The one in the northwestern corner is guarded by the hero Zubin and has a green keymaster's tent next to it, the one in the southeastern corner is guarded by Crag Hack and has a red tent nearby, and the one in the southwestern corner is guarded by Gretchin and has two entrances: one is blocked by a red border gate, and the other by a green. Once he has hired a few azure dragons, Tarnum can head towards either the northwestern or southeastern Stronghold. Visiting the tent, he can then take the southwestern one, before heading towards the final Stronghold. Towns * Two Dungeons * Three Strongholds Strategy By building a Portal in Summoning in both Dungeons and visiting the Frozen Cliffs, Tarnum can hire three azure dragons per week, if he can afford the price and doesn't capture any other dwellings. The seer's hut next to Tarnum's Dungeon will give the Everpouring Vial of Mercury to any hero that reaches level 28. Category:The Sword of Frost scenarios